Let's talk about Chili

what's a yellow onion?

It is what the name says, an onion with a yellow bulb. They are more strongly flavored than a white onion of the same size. The recipe calls for 2 onion bulbs, about 350 gm each, cut to 1 cm cube. The bell pepper is a completely mild chile. They are using red for color, which is silly in the context.

I think the translation of this is: a yellow onion is a normal onion. A bell pepper is a capsicum. A chile is a chilli.
 
I think the translation of this is: a yellow onion is a normal onion. A bell pepper is a capsicum. A chile is a chilli.

A chile is the piquant fruit of a capsicum. They are commonly, though incorrectly, referred to as peppers.

Bell pepper, named for its shape, is a large completely mild variety of capsicum fruit. It is also referred to as "sweet" or "salad" pepper. Use of the term "pepper" is odd, since there is no spice. It is not usually referred to as a chile, which would imply heat.

"Chilli" is not preferred form for anything.

J
 
I'm translating to Australian for Graffito's benefit. :p In Australia, a yellow onion is a normal onion (I think red onions would be more common than white onions, but perhaps it's just what I'm used to), a bell pepper is a capsicum (I think this is fairly uniquely Antipodean; it's just a pepper in the UK, and I've only seen it translated to capsicum, pepper, and paprika in non-English speaking countries), and 'chile' is spelt 'chilli' (I think this is more broadly the case in all non-American English; before this thread I wasn't aware that 'chile' was an acceptable spelling, so for non-Americans the country's name is just as likely the source of puns about air temperature).
 
Capsicum is the genus for all these plants, family Solanaceae. Other food Solanaceae include the potato (Solanum tuberosum), the tomato (Solanum lycopersicum), and the aubergine or egg plant (Solanum melongena). Also tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) and many ornamental plants, such as petunia.

J
 
...In Australia, a yellow onion is a normal onion...
Well, that is not what the recipe is referring to. That is unless this is considered to be a normal onion in Australia:

Yellow Onion, also known as a Brown Onion, is a variety of dry onion with a strong flavor. White inside, its layers of papery skin have a yellow-brown color.

It has a rich onion taste and is fit for food dishes like French onion soup. Yellow onions are typically available throughout the year. This onion is higher in sulfur than the white onion, which gives it a stronger, more complex flavor.

A dozen varieties of yellow onion are grown, following the time of year. They vary in nutritional content.
I just used sweet onions, which I guess are what are considered to be normal around here. The layers are anything but papery. They are frequently used to make onion rings. But they do have a yellow color.

I also added some fresh jalapenos, which I guess is what onejayhawk referred to as being green above. I do think I put them in way too early.
 
You seem to be talking about 'Chili' as if it's a dish?

We take our chili very seriously. Almost as serious as barbecue. We have chili cook-offs, and they're huge and amazing. Especially during the colder months, chili can indeed be a common dish or meal by itself. It's an amazing full-body warmer.

I'm now motivated to make some chili!
 
Those down under may be more familiar with curry.

Chili is very like a curry and many cooking techniques carry over. Toasting and grinding spices together, then adding boiling water to bloom the flavors, is a curry technique. It works well making chili. One big difference is the use of dried, semi-hot chiles. These are very common in Mexican and US Southwest regional cooking, but hard to find in the rest of the world.

J
 
We take our chili very seriously. Almost as serious as barbecue. We have chili cook-offs, and they're huge and amazing. Especially during the colder months, chili can indeed be a common dish or meal by itself. It's an amazing full-body warmer.

I'm now motivated to make some chili!

Just curious:

1) Tomato--Yes or No?
2) Beans--Yes or No?
3) Green chiles--Yes or No?

Once you have a bowl of red, what should be added at the table?

For everyone else, "red" is a reference to the color of the stain chili leaves, not to tomato.

J
 
Just curious:

1) Tomato--Yes or No?
Yes.

2) Beans--Yes or No?
Yes!

3) Green chiles--Yes or No?
I don't know if I've had chili with that, but I would give it a try.

Once you have a bowl of red, what should be added at the table?

I like freshly-baked white bread (the kind you tear from the loaf) or corn bread muffins, and maybe sour cream or guacamole.
 
I'm a tomato yes, beans on the side, shredded cheese, sweet onion and cornbread. Judith likes sour cream, so I have learned to like that as well. If fresh corn on the cob is available, like now, it makes an interesting side dish.

J
 
I'm translating to Australian for Graffito's benefit. :p In Australia, a yellow onion is a normal onion (I think red onions would be more common than white onions, but perhaps it's just what I'm used to), a bell pepper is a capsicum (I think this is fairly uniquely Antipodean; it's just a pepper in the UK, and I've only seen it translated to capsicum, pepper, and paprika in non-English speaking countries), and 'chile' is spelt 'chilli' (I think this is more broadly the case in all non-American English; before this thread I wasn't aware that 'chile' was an acceptable spelling, so for non-Americans the country's name is just as likely the source of puns about air temperature).

thanks :) so I just use an onion, I'll give Forma's recipe a try
I asked because some things translate to completely different things and my supermarket has fresh, brown,purple(red?) and salad onions as well as all the shallots and spring onion types, and I want to do the recipe justice
 
Well, that is not what the recipe is referring to. That is unless this is considered to be a normal onion in Australia:

To be honest it looks more brown than yellow, which is often what we call them.
 
To be honest it looks more brown than yellow, which is often what we call them.

The dry skin makes an excellent brown dye. We used it for Easter eggs when I was a child. The edible part is yellowish, as compared to white or reddish purple.

Good luck with the recipe. I am curious what sort of dried chile or chile powder you have available down under.

J
 
Only chilli con carne I have had, actually quite good for a canned product.
Not exactly hot, Americans dynamite hot = mildly hot for Australians.

813%5C0071106061813%5CIDShot_225x225.jpg

http://www.tesco.com/groceries/product/details/?id=255552203
 
Only chilli con carne I have had, actually quite good for a canned product.
Not exactly hot, Americans dynamite hot = mildly hot for Australians.

It depends on what kind of American product. This is a case of overmarketing a feature. It may be hotter than dead mild, so it must be mega hot. NOT!

Try Melinda's hot sauce. Truly superior flavor and a nice kick, but only considered medium spicy. It ships at $2.25 per bottle. They market their jalapeno sauce as "tangy and mild".

Melindas-Habanero-Hot-Sauce.jpg


J
 
Okay, enough with this prattling about Ukraine, or God, or "which 4th-tier Greek horror writer is your 7th favorite" stuff. Let's come together and discuss an issue of utmost import to us all. Let's talk about Chili.

Why? For starters, Chili is delicious. You can cook it in bulk (to freeze later, or stretch out across multiple meals), and it's so easy to cook that even our swath of youngins, with only rudimentary access to kitchen supplies, can cook at least an "okay" Chili. It's pretty hard to screw up.

But it's also very versatile. You can make your Chili as complicated or as simple as you want. Some people eschew the usage of beans. Others use beer. Some only use meat, other sausage, turkey, elk, or some combo. Other additions, from spices, to sauces, can enhance.

Do you like Chili? What is your go-to recipe? Do you like it on hot dogs or french fries? Do you support the abomination before the Lord that is Cincinnati Chili? Personally, I've fond of a few squeezes of brown mustard into the mix while it stews, and also enjoy some green chilis thrown in, and I've been trying different kinds of meats, besides beef.

WHAT ARE YOUR #HOT #CHILI #TAKES?!?

2 cans black beans.
2 cans kidney beans.
2 can garbanzo beans.
1 small jar of Jalapenos.
2 cans diced green chilis.
2 cans rotel.
1 large purple onion.
2 diced zucchinis.
1 cup rice.
1 pound diced chicken.
1 package spicy hot sausage.
Franks hot sauce or tabasco to taste

I puree the onion, zucchinis and jalapenos in a food processor. Pre cook the rice before adding it in. I also had some red pepper to the chicken when I brown it.

I also add some Cajun seasoning in as well to taste. I brown the chicken and sausage in a skillet with just a little olive oil and red pepper. I then toss the rest of it into a big crockpot. Let it simmer for a couple hours to get it to set together right. Makes enough chili for dinner that night and take to work lunches the next day or so.
 
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